Strength and conditioning coach Jacquelyn Harris' knowledge of TPI provides the CSU women's golf program with an advantage

Oct. 9, 2013

The Colorado State women’s golf program offers its athletes a highly-rated course to practice at in the Harmony Golf Course, a well-respected head coach in Annie Young, who had success as a player at Oklahoma State and as a coach at her alma mater but most importantly the Rams have access to a unique training regimen.

Jacquelyn Harris, a native of Park City, Utah, is the strength and conditioning coach for the Rams’ women’s golf team. What makes her different than most strength coaches is her background in Titleist Performance Institute.

Harris rowed crew for the University of San Diego and the strength and conditioning component of her training caught her attention. She went on and received her B.A. in business administration before earning her M.S. in human movement from A.T. Still University.

“I was very intrigued by the correlation between the physical and mental elements of training and performance,” Harris said. “I pursued an education in movement and performance and my interest turned into a career.”

Titleist Performance Institute, or TPI, specializes in researching and educating golfers, golf coaches and golf pros on how the body impacts a golfer’s swing.

This is a feature of training that is used by thousands of golfers, many of whom play on the Professional Golfers Association Tour.

The athletes are put through a golf specific evaluation that screens for factors that impact a golf swing such as stability, mobility, coordination, strength and disassociation abilities.

“The results of the screen help to determine which exercises will be most beneficial towards improving an athlete’s performance,” said Harris. “This screen also improves golfers’ understanding of how their body impacts their sport.”

Although it is a relatively new aspect of golf training, it is becoming more and more difficult to find professional golfers who neglect their body off the course. Harris’ background gives the Rams a distinct advantage on the course.

“Understanding how the body and the swing are connected is critical to implementing a program that is specific to improving golf performance and preventing injury,” Harris said. “Furthermore, each athlete’s strength and conditioning program should be individualized to a degree. Having a background in TPI helps strength coaches to implement a golf specific program tailored to meet each athlete’s needs.”

The first-year coach also notices the advantage of having Harris on staff.

“Jacquelyn’s knowledge combined with her ability to get the most out of the team during workouts is very impressive. It is rare to find a strength coach that is trained in TPI and I feel it will give us an edge over our competition in the long run,” Young said.